LANSING — Asking for the recipe for Weston’s Kewpee Burger’s olive sauce is like asking for nuclear codes.
You’re not going to get an answer.
The mayonnaise-and-green-olive concoction has been a staple of the family-run joint in downtown Lansing since the 1920s, when current owner Autumn Weston’s great-grandmother first wrote down the recipe. It’s the same version they use today.
“Olives are one of those things: People love them or hate them,” Weston said. “Some people, it takes convincing. But, once you do, they’re really surprised by how much they enjoy it.”
Michigan is a state filled with Midwestern delicacies. There are Vernors floats and Rice Krispies treats. Flint and Detroit have their coney dogs with their respective dry and soupy chili sauces. Traverse City has cherries. Mackinac Island has fudge.
If mid-Michigan has a culinary staple, it’s the olive burger, a unique iteration of the hamburger made up of a beef patty topped with a mixture of mayonnaise, chopped olives and often olive brine. While the burger’s origins are a bit mysterious, over time it’s become a Lansing staple, cropping up on the menus at dive bars and trendy eateries alike.